Furniture glider and glider installation



Oct. 21, 1941.

- a .I 7 I04 Fig.6,

I Inveno E'Zemeizifl liqdwara Q2; Miracu- Patented Oct. 21, 1941 j UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE v V 2,259,714 t FURNITURE ,GL IDER AND' GLIDER INSTAL:

I A: V LATION r Clement A. Woodward, Dedha'in, Mass, assignor to United-Carr Fastener Corporation, Cambridge, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application July 19, 1939, Serial No. 285,250

e e 2 Claims.

" This invention relates to a glider of type having a head portion preferably rounded on its lower surface to slide easily over a floor. My invention relates also to the combination of the glider and a piece of piping such as the tubular leg of an article of furniture.

Referring to the drawing, in which I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation showing a portion of a lower end of a hollow leg of an article of manufacture with my improved glider in assembly with the leg and presenting a gliding head between the end of the leg and the surface of a support such as a floor;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of my improved glider per se, and showing the method of securing the head and attaching means;

Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of my improved glider Per se;

Fig. 5 is a top view of the glider per se; and

Fig. 6 is a top View of a disk member forming a part of my preferred glider.

Referring to the drawing, 1' have shown in Figs. 1 and 3 a preferred installation comprising a piece of piping I which may be the leg of an article of furniture. My improved glider member 2 is assembled with the leg I and provides a head portion or glider 3 disposed outside the leg I adjacent the lower end thereof to space the leg from a support such as a floor 4 (Fig. 1). The leg I is preferably cylindrical in cross-sectional shape and provides a bore 5 receiving attaching means 6 of the glider 2 and engaged thereby whereby the glider is secured in firm assembly with the leg.

Referring in detail to my improved glider, the attaching means 6 is secured to the head 3 and extends outwardly away from the upper side thereof. The head portion 3 is preferably formed of two pieces comprising a cap or cup-shaped glider part I and a metal disk 8 secured within the part I. The glider part 1 has a substantially flat bottom wall 9 and an annular wall I0 curved upwardly and inwardly and clenched over the peripheral edge of the disk 8. As a result of the curved construction of the wall II], a radius I0 is provided adjacent the bottom 9 so as to enable the glider to slide easily over the floor. The disk 8, which is preferably fiat and of generally circular outline, has oppositely disposed notches I I in its peripheral margin for receiving portions of the attaching means 6 for a purpose to be described. The attaching means 6 is preferably constructed from a strip of ribbon-like sheet metal and is of substantially U-shaped form. The attaching means comprises a pair of attaching legs or y'ieldable side portions l2--I2 which are normally outwardly bowed, as most clearly shown in Fig. 2. The side portions I2 -I2 are joined at their ends away from the head 3 by a connecting portion I3. The side portions I2I2 have diverging portions I 4 .at their ends adjacent the head 3 when the head 3 and attaching means are in assembly, and substantially fiat portions I5 (Fig. 2) extending inwardly toward each other from the ends of the diverging portions I4. In assembling the parts of the glider the disk 8 is disposed within the cap I with the diverging portions I4 of the attaching means extending into the notches II-II of the disk 8 to dispose the fiat portions I5 between the disk 8 and the bottom 9 of the cup 1. Next the peripheral wall ID of the cup is bent over by a suitable tool into clamped engagement with the marginal edge of the disk 8 whereby the disk and attaching means are securely assembled with the head portion 3.

Attachment of the glider to the leg I is a relatively simple matter and is carried out by forcing the attaching means 6 of the glider into the bore 5 of the leg I until the head portion 1 abuts the free end I6 (Fig. 1) of the leg. During this action, as a result of the fact that the diameter of the leg I is less than the greatest distance between the bowed side portions of the attaching means, the side portions contract or tend to straighten out, as most clearly shown in Fig. 1, at the same time lengthening the attaching means. As a result of this action the corners I! (Fig. 3) of the side portions I2I2 resiliently engage the walls of the leg against the spring tension set up in the side portions I2 as they strive to return to normal bowed shape.

Thus by my invention I have provided a glider comprising three parts which are inexpensive to manufacture and to assemble. In addition, the glider is capable of quick and easy attachment to the piping of metal furniture so as to effect a secure and eflicient assembly.

Although I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited thereby because the scope of v my invention is best defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A glider for attachment in a bore of a leg member and the like comprising a head portion formed of a metal cap having a substantially plain base and an upturned peripheral rim, a resilient inverted U-shaped attaching spring adapted for insertion in the hollow leg for frictional engagement with the walls of said bore, the sides of said U-shaped spring being arched and normally spaced a distance in excess of the diameter of said bore, a retaining disk fitting within said metal cap and formed with diametrically opposed recesses for the reception of the ends of said U-shaped attaching spring, the free ends of said attaching spring being formed with reversely bent, substantially S-shaped hooked ends fitted in the recesses in said disk with portions of the S-shaped hooked ends. extending inwardly beyond the recesses both above and below the disk, said disk providing positive means for preventing movement of the ends of said attaching spring radially inwardly as said attaching spring is forced into said bore, whereby lateral contraction of said spring is compensatedsolely by axial elongation thereof, the peripheral flange of said cap members being clenched over theperipheral edge of said washer for securing the parts in assembled relation.

2. A glider for attachment in a bore of a leg member and the like comprising a head portion formed of a metal cap having a substantially plain base and an upturned peripheral rim, a resilient inverted U-shaped attaching spring adapted for insertion in the hollow leg for frictional engagement with the walls of said bore, the sides of said U-shaped spring being arched and normally spaced 2. distance in excess of the diameter of said bore, a retaining disk fitting within said metal cap and formed with diametrically opposed recesses for the reception of the ends of said U-shaped attaching spring, the

sembled relation.

CLEMENT A. WOODWARD. 

